Born in Victoria on 27 February 1862, eldest of the nine children of James Barrett, MD, formerly of Banbury, Oxfordshire. He was educated at Melbourne Grammar School and University, where he graduated MB in 1881. After serving as resident medical officer at Melbourne Hospital, he came to Europe and took the Membership on 25 January 1884. He served as demonstrator of anatomy at King's College, London, as clinical assistant at the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital, Moorfields, and as assistant surgeon at the Western Ophthalmic Hospital. After working in Berlin, he took the Fellowship on 10 March 1887, and then went back to Melbourne, where he took the MD in 1887 and the MS in 1888. He was appointed lecturer in the physiology of the special senses at Melbourne University, a post which he held for more than forty years. Although already specializing in ophthalmology, his professional interests were wide. In due course he was appointed ophthalmic surgeon to the Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital and oculist to the Royal Victoria Institute for the Blind. The operative treatment of squint was a chief object of his experimentation. During the war of 1914-18 Barrett served as assistant director of medical services AAMC with the Australian Imperial Force, and was later consulting oculist and aurist (lieutenant-colonel RAMC) with the British forces in Egypt. He had been created CMG in 1911, and for his war service was created CB and KBE; he was also awarded the Order of the Nile, 3rd class, in 1916. On his return to Australia he became oculist to the repatriation hospital at Caulfield and to the Victoria pilot services, and was consulting oculist to the Royal Australian Navy. He represented the Australian branch of the British Medical Association at the Winnipeg meeting in 1930 and was made an honorary Doctor of Laws of Manitoba University. In 1935 he was president of the British Medical Association at the 103rd annual meeting held in Melbourne. He was the pioneer of the famous Victoria Bush Hospitals and Bush Nursing Sisterhood, founded in 1911 with one trained nurse, which by the time of his death had sixty-seven hospitals and fifteen centres. Barrett served on the council of Melbourne University from 1901, was vice-chancellor 1931-34 and chancellor 1935-39. He took a keen interest in the formation of special schools in various branches of higher education. The wide range of his interests and his delight in initiating activity in any field which attracted his attention won him the nickname of 'gadfly' and he himself spoke of his 'gingering-up projects'. Barrett served as president of the Victoria branch of the Royal Empire Society, and as chairman of council of the Combined Empire Societies. As chairman of the Australian national parks committee he was instrumental in establishing the Wyperfield National Park. He was particularly interested in the preservation of the Australian fauna, and formed the sanctuary at Wilson's promontory and the koala sanctuary on Philip Island. He kept wallabies, kangaroos, and koala-bears in his own grounds at Toorak near Melbourne, and was also a successful grower of lilies. He was president of the Town-planning Association, the Childrens Playgrounds Association, and the Proportional Representation Society, and an advocate of decimal coinage. Music was another leading interest; he promoted the prosperity of the Melbourne Conservatoire and was chairman of the Lady Northcote permanent orchestra fund. He advocated the long-term policy of educating children to appreciate music and protect wild life. Barrett was a prolific writer on medical, educational, and political subjects, contributing especially to the *Melbourne Argus*. Many of his articles were collected into book form as *Twin ideals*, 1918. He also wrote on the history of the medical services in the war, and a book of constructive criticism of the RAMC (see below). Barrett married twice: (1) in 1888 Marian, daughter of Charles Rennick. Lady Barrett died in 1939 leaving a son and three daughters; their elder son was killed in action in France in 1917 while serving as a captain in The Royal Fusiliers. (2) He married secondly in 1940 Monica, sister of Professor B Heinze, FRCM. Sir James Barrett died at Melbourne on 6 April 1945, aged 83. He had practised at 105 Collins Street, and lived at 17 Lansell Road, Toorak, Melbourne. His portrait was subscribed for, and presented to him by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne in 1939. Publications:- *Twin ideals, an educated Commonwealth*. Melbourne, 1918. *The Australian Army medical corps in Egypt*, with P E Deane, CMG Melbourne, 1918. *The war work of the YMCA in Egypt*. 1919. *A vision of the possible: what the RAMC might become*. 1919. *The diary of an Australian soldier*. 1920. *Save Australia, a plea for the right use of our fauna and flora* (edited). Melbourne, 1925. Hospital problems (presidential address to the BMA). *Med J Austral*. Oct 1935, 2, 429.